Don?t Get Caught In the Trap: The BIG Difference Between Personal and Business Branding

When you're all alone in the privacy of your home office, surrounded by your computer, your phone and your business idea, have you ever asked yourself, "Where's the line between me in my business and the business in me"?

With hundreds of thousands of home-based businesses starting every year, and few ever flourishing, the topic of branding has become hot, hot, hot. And thanks to experts touting the need for a personal brand in sole proprietor businesses the confusion is growing. It's no wonder. Business... personal... personal... business-- what IS the big difference any way?

Last week, I was guiding a client (a service-based sole practioner) through the same step-by-step process that I take every company (sole practioner, entrepreneur or a business of any size) through to develop their brand and I noticed that as we got deeper and deeper into the process, she was having more and more trouble coming up with answers. The very answers that would separate her from other people engaged the same exact business and distinctly establish her brand.

In the middle of working on the most important step in the branding process-- the brand statement--I asked her the simple question, "Why does she do business she does?" she burst into tears. Halfway into the box of Kleenex she finally, revealed the most amazing answer as to why she was in her chosen field in the first place. Honestly, I think she stunned herself. We both sat silent for over a minute in awe of the power she had tapped into with her discovery. (Don't let anyone fool you, this is from where the true power of branding comes.)

Then doubt reared its ugly head and like a butterfly emerging from a new cocoon, a series of questions poured out of her: "Is this my business or is it me?" "Is why I do what I do really that important?" "Why is it so hard for me to stand in the power of my business and really make something of it?"

You get the picture? You may even be standing in a similar picture, even wrestling with the same questions yourself. Bless you if you're not. Let's look at the difference between 'your business' and 'you the person' and see if we can clear up this question once and for all.

A business: (be it Niketown or Bob's Shoe Bonanza) Delivers a product or service to fulfill a customer need. You: Deliver a product or service to fulfill a customer need.

A business: Establishes a certain value that a customer can rely on from every contact with their product or service. You: Establish a certain value that a customer can rely on from every contact with your product or service. (If not, get on it immediately!)

A business: Communicates consistently to reach the customers that have a need for their product or service. You: Communicate consistently to reach the customers that have a need for your product or service. (If not, what are you waiting for?)

A business: Enjoys a financial reward equal to the amount of customers that it serves, AND a personal reward for the creator/C.E.O. You: Enjoy a financial reward equal to the amount of customers that you serve AND YOU get to experience the personal reward yourself.

If you look at just these four basic, bottom-line points, the difference between a business and you as a sole business owner is... nothing; unless you count the added bonus of you getting a financial AND personal reward.

At the start of every single business, throughout history, there has never been a separation between the person starting it and the business itself. If you asked any business figure-head today, Bill Gates of Microsoft, or Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, or if they took over a company like Meg Whitman for Ebay, or Carly Fiorina for Hewlett- Packard, they would tell you that there is no difference in who 'they are' and what 'they bring' to their business. Why? Because there's no room for a difference. It's the alignment that makes it possible to reach the highest of the heights.

It's challenging enough to make any business succeed. It's tough enough to make any business reside in the mind of a customer. Why would you remove the very power of 'you' in every shape and form from your business?! Why not every day do the thing that moves you the most? You are the only thing that sets your business apart-- you just need a process of tapping into your power, connecting it to your business, and a systematic way of communicating it to your customers over and over and over again.

When developing your amazing business as a brand, throw the doors wide open. Create it as you would if you were reaching millions. You can always decide exactly how many millions later. Thinking of your brand as just a 'personal' one will do the opposite. Keep it small.

If you work for yourself, be it your own business, network marketing, or even an agent/broker condition under a corporate umbrella, you are the CEO of your business. Every CEO brings themselves personally to their business. The great ones bring every thing they are to their creation, every moment.

The majority of our lives are spent doing what we call work. As an entrepreneur or business owner, you have the wonderful opportunity to make it more. Make it your creation. Think of yourself as the Creator of an Entrepreneur Organization. When you wake up tomorrow, instead of saying to yourself, "I'm going to work" say "I'm going to create." And the operative word is I'm. The true power of really making something in your business will come from investing in it the most valuable commodity you have-- you.

There is no separation on the road to big business success: just because you're personally on it. True big business success comes to those who know, it's not just business-- it's personal too.

Written by Kim Castle, the Co-founder of BrandU? - the home of only step-by- step process for developing your business as a brand from the inside out!

To get information on upcoming BrandU one-day workshops: http:// www.whybrandu.com/Public/events/workshop/index.cfm?semID=13

Get your Why You?!(sm) monthly ezine for easy-to-read tips and informative insights on branding. To subscribe: http://www.whybrandu.com/

"BrandU? - Big Business Success No Matter Your Size"

---

Google News Updated : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:51:44 GMT Billionaires Back Antismoking Effort - New York Times Boston Globe Billionaires Back Antismoking Effort New York Times - 27 minutes ago Bill Gates and New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced their antismoking initiative on Wednesday in New York. By DONALD G. MCNEIL JR Bill Gates and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced on Wednesday that they would spend $500 million to stop ... Video: Gates, Bloomberg Pool Riches to Fight Smoking AssociatedPress The $500 million war on smoking Minneapolis Star Tribune BusinessWeek - eFluxMedia - Bizjournals.com - FOXBusiness all 471 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:23:48 GMT Christian Bale's lady sidekick: Sibi Bale - Los Angeles Times ABC News Christian Bale's lady sidekick: Sibi Bale Los Angeles Times - 4 hours ago Like the Dark Knight/Bruce Wayne, Christian Bale is a real-life man of mystery. Averse to personal publicity, he is well-known for not wanting to discuss his private life. Christian Bale, Wife "Solid" at Knight's Spain Premiere E! Online Bale's family feud led to scuffle The Star-Ledger - NJ.com People Magazine - New York Daily News - Boston Herald - Variety all 2,386 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:10:31 GMT Rapper 50 Cent sues Taco Bell over ad - New York Daily News ABC News Rapper 50 Cent sues Taco Bell over ad New York Daily News - 36 minutes ago BY THOMAS ZAMBITO The rapper - real name Curtis Jackson - is suing the fast-food chain for using his hip-hop persona to tout its tacos. 50 Cent sues Taco Bell over ad campaign The Associated Press Rapper 50 Cent says Taco Bell stole his endorsement Reuters E! Online - MTV.com - CNNMoney.com - KWCH all 187 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:15:09 GMT Favre's heir? With backing from mates, Rodgers waits patiently - USA Today Bleacher Report Favre's heir? With backing from mates, Rodgers waits patiently USA Today - 4 hours ago By Matt Ludtke, AP By Larry Weisman, USA TODAY He no longer sounds like a retired player after seemingly passing on the opportunity to lead a talent-laden Packers squad. Video: The Rift Between Favre and the Packers AssociatedPress Finding new home for Brett Favre won't be easy Chicago Tribune Minneapolis Star Tribune - Kansas City Star - The Canadian Press - Tampa Tribune all 512 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:06:18 GMT Discovery may boost statin safety - BBC News InjuryBoard.com Discovery may boost statin safety BBC News - 7 hours ago Scientists have pinpointed a gene mutation as a major cause of a rare side effect of the cholesterol-lowering drugs statins. They hope the discovery could lead to a simple test to identify patients at increased risk of myopathy - severe muscle pain and ... Gene May Predict Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Risk, Study Says Bloomberg Genetic Cause of Statin-Related Muscle Pain Found Washington Post U.S. News & World Report - Reuters - The Associated Press - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com all 172 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:14:24 GMT Zimbabwe Parties May Sign Unity Deal Soon, Business Day Reports - Bloomberg ABC News Zimbabwe Parties May Sign Unity Deal Soon, Business Day Reports Bloomberg - 28 minutes ago By Carli Lourens July 24 (Bloomberg) -- Zimbabwe's ruling and opposition parties may sign a power-sharing agreement soon as they have already agreed on a wide range of issues, Business Day reported, citing people it didn't identify. Fearsome Zimbabwe militias are afraid Los Angeles Times Delayed Zimbabwe Power-Sharing Talks Seen Beginning Thursday Voice of America BBC News - guardian.co.uk - AFP all 3,609 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:23:06 GMT Karadzic lived the good life with wine, song - Reuters ABC News Karadzic lived the good life with wine, song Reuters - 2 hours ago By Ivana Sekularac BELGRADE (Reuters) - Radovan Karadzic lived the good life while hiding from justice for 11 years: he watched his diet, fell in love and hung out in a small bar where hardliners gathered to sing about his wartime exploits. Video: Karadzic's arrest sparks clashes - 23 Jul 08 AlJazeeraEnglish Karadzic's secret life enthralls his fellow Serbs The Associated Press Reuters UK - euronews - New York Times - Voice of America all 5,771 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:05:33 GMT Datafeeds For Blogs Amazon Content

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Eye On The Pie: Branding From an Investors P.O.V.

When building a business as a brand it's important to... Read More

Into The Limelight

To stand out in a cluttered world, become a recognized... Read More

Boston Brand Building - Brand Identity Guru

"Make no little plans, they have no magic to stir... Read More

Logo Design - Branding - Brand Identity Guru

Do you have any idea how important your company logo... Read More

Adventures in Advertising and the Affect on the Brand Name

Studying various target-marketing techniques and here is a thought. We... Read More

Branding ? Brand Identity Guru

Brands are important aspects of any business, but unlike money... Read More

The Art of Successful Branding

Branding: it's a term that carries great weight in the... Read More

Light Up Necklaces Help Promote Red Doors Movie at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival Awards

June 13, 2005 -- Jane Chen (Producer) of the Red... Read More

Simple Risk Reversal Formula Will Send Your Sales Into Space (2 of 2)

Make A Bold Promise Then Back It Up With An... Read More

Corporate Identity - A Rough Guide

A rough guide to corporate identityThe tabloids report the millions... Read More

Branding: You are the Brand

What's in a brand name? Everything! Think of these brands:... Read More

Picking The Design Company Which Is Right For You

So you've decided to go for it-you're ready to choose... Read More

Don?t Get Caught In the Trap: The BIG Difference Between Personal and Business Branding

When you're all alone in the privacy of your home... Read More

Naming Names... How to Name your Business

Sometimes the best inspiration comes from hearing about the deconstruction... Read More

Branding Junk Removal - He Did It, Can You?

What does it mean to be remarkable?Brian Scudamore, CEO and... Read More

Internet Branding

Having been in the franchising business all my life and... Read More

Importance of Business Branding

Branding is very important to a business, whether it is... Read More

Build Customer Loyalty by Promoting Your Customers

Do you want to attract new customers while building greater... Read More

Self-Marketing: The I Focus

Ever had one of those conversations where you wondered what... Read More

Don?t Overlook Your Email When Considering Your Brand Identity

You wouldn't skip letterhead when sending out a sales letter... Read More

Branding Advertising Agency

Branding used to be a fancy business word, but it... Read More

Extreme Makeover ? Small Business Edition

Have you ever watched one of those home makeover shows?... Read More

Brand Lo-o-o-o-o-ve...

So... how have you been building your brand lately?Now, I'm... Read More

Branded Email: Email Branding is the Next Generation of Email

All You Need is Branded Email Or Always Branded Email... Read More

Great Brands Depend On Attention To The Brand Architecture

Do you have the architecture in place to make sure... Read More